


Home Free

by mythicait



Series: Rowcan Oneshots [6]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Homecoming, M/M, Military Homecoming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:40:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23675506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicait/pseuds/mythicait
Summary: Request from my lovely nalgenewhore: “just shut up and kiss me already” for the rowcan soldier homecoming auThis is just a short lil oneshot about Lorcan coming home to see Rowan after he's been abroad with the military for a long time.
Relationships: Lorcan Salvaterre/Rowan Whitethorn, Rowcan - Relationship, background bortsryn, background fenhemia, background lysaelin, barely - Relationship
Series: Rowcan Oneshots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468663
Comments: 9
Kudos: 27





	Home Free

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NalgeneWhore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NalgeneWhore/gifts).



Three tours, countless missions, hours spent staying achingly still waiting for the perfect moment, and _this_ was the one time Lorcan couldn’t stop fidgeting. 

It had started on the plane ride in, with his knee bouncing up and down without him even noticing it. Once he did, he made a conscious effort to stop. But then he started tapping out a rhythm with his fingers on the armrest. Every time he tried to stifle the growing restlessness, it just manifested in a different way. 

When he finally got off the plane - having had waited an absurdly long time for everyone to file out - weaving through the crowds at least gave him a little relief. He knew this airport like the back of his hand so he strode through without even looking at the signs. His height and the uniform he still wore prompted people to move out of his way faster than they did for anyone else and he thanked the gods for that. Slowing down was nowhere in his plans today. 

Unlike usual, he had to stop by baggage claim. Half an hour turned into an endless agony and the wait grated against his nerves. Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to his ride telling her he’d be out soon, though he thought that might’ve been a lie as he eyed the carousel. 

Finally, his duffel appeared and he darted forward to grab it before weaving his way through the teeming mass of people. Outside, he shielded his eyes against the sun, looking for-

“Hey, asshole, over here!”

There she was. Leaning against her girlfriend’s shiny red convertible was his best friend and his biggest pain in the ass. 

“Galathynius, I thought you were bringing your old truck.” 

Popping the trunk, Aelin lifted it so he could toss his shit in. “Back in the shop again so Lys lent me her baby with the strictest instructions _not_ to drive it through anything.” 

Shutting the trunk, Lorcan looked over at her for a moment before she couldn’t contain herself any longer and gave a loud shout before throwing her arms around him. Laughing, Lorcan wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing tight and lifting her off the ground. He swung her around a bit for extra measure before she struggled against his hold and he deposited her back on her own two feet. 

“I can’t believe you’re back, Salvaterre. It’s been- gods, it’s been like nine months since you’ve had any shore leave.” Pulling out her keys, Aelin slid into the car and he followed suit. 

“I was due for some time at home,” he murmured, smiling as he reached up to touch his necklace through the fabric of his shirt. 

Aelin caught him up on all of their friends as she drove. He let her talk, letting her voice distract him as he started fidgeting once again. 

“And Rowan-” 

“Hey,” Lorcan interrupted her. “You know the rule; he gets to tell me what’s going on with him.”

“Saps.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she pulled off the highway. “You really didn’t tell him you were coming home, huh?”

He glanced at her warily. “No. You didn’t spill any secrets, did you?”

“Me? Accidentally spill a secret? You do know who you’re talking to, right?” When his glare didn’t let up, she sighed. “Of course not. He thinks we’re all just getting together because we all have the day off.” 

“Good.” 

Lorcan lapsed into silence again, staring out the window while he fiddled with his dog tags. By the time they reached their favorite restaurant, the tension had built back up inside him and he felt like he would snap at the slightest provocation. Aelin parked on the opposite side of the building as usual, away from a familiar swatch of vehicles, including her own motorcycle. Leaning against it was Lysandra and beyond her was a group of people, just standing around waiting. 

Lorcan saw Fenrys and Nehemia, Nesryn with Borte on her arm, a little girl tugging at Sorchia’s skirt and… there he was. 

Leaning against one of the trucks was Rowan Whitethorn. His silver hair was longer than the last time Lorcan had seen it, pushed back like he’d been running his hands through it. His shirt clung to his muscles and he had his hands shoved into his pockets while he talked to Connall about something. A smile tipped the side of his mouth up and the sight of it, of _him_ , made all of those nerves that had been eating Lorcan up dissipate. 

“Ready?” Her voice was soft and he turned, expecting to be teased but finding a soft fondness in her eyes instead. 

“Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “I’m more than ready for this.” 

***

“All I’m saying is that he could be slightly more considerate about it.” 

Trying his best to smother his smile, Rowan shrugged at him. “That’s what you get for agreeing to run a business with him. You’ve known him since you were born, Con. You know how he deals with that kind of shit.” 

Connall sent him a frustrated look before turning to Lysandra for better help. He listened to them with one ear but his gaze caught on his hand and it all became background noise. 

Rowan loved these get-togethers, being able to see all of them together and happy. But every time they got together and _he_ wasn’t there, it was a hole in his heart. He’d give anything to see him glower at Aelin or glance over at him from across the group. 

Nine months. It had been nine months since he had seen his fiance. 

Swallowing the pain down, Rowan fiddled with the ring on his finger, spinning it around as he pasted on a smile. Thankfully, it was Fenrys wandering over and not one of the girls. They would recognize his mood automatically. Fenrys was a little less subtle.

“Let me guess, he was pissed about how I told that guy to fuck off.” Connall might have been pissed, but Fenrys was anything but. Amusement tinged his question.

Giving him a wry look, Rowan said, “You should give him some consideration. He doesn’t like that kind of customer service, even if it is a tattoo parlor.” 

“Eh, he’ll calm down eventually.”

“Con or the customer?”

“Both,” he said with a smug grin. 

Rowan grunted, spacing out again. Aelin should get there soon and then they could finally go in and he could find another distraction. 

“When is he due back home?”

So much for less subtle. “Not for another month. And then he’s reenlisting, I think.” 

Fenrys cursed. “He’s seriously reenlisting?”

“He hasn’t told me otherwise, so I’m assuming the worst.” Rowan tried to give him a smile, but the weight of his statement cut him and it probably came out as more of a grimace. 

Fenrys clasped a hand on his shoulder, worry tightening in his face. “After you didn’t re-up the last time, I thought he’d drop out, too. Reenlisting _again?_ Fuck, I’m sorry, Ro.” 

Shrugging, he was about to change the subject to something less painful when he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Aelin wrapped her arms around Lysandra from behind, hugging her tight when she squawked in surprise. Rowan was about to turn to go inside when he realized everyone was silent, staring his way. 

Before Rowan could ask what they were staring at, a large, warm hand brushed up against his lower back. Confusion gave way to disbelief when he heard that deep voice he loved say his name. 

Whipping around, he found himself faced with the person he had wanted to see most. “Lorcan…” 

He was only shocked still for a moment before he dragged the other man into a tight embrace. Faintly, he could hear the others start to cheer, shouts of his lover’s name and catcalls for the both of them. He ignored them, burying his face in Lorcan’s neck and clinging to the back of his shirt. One of his hands rose to cradle the back of Rowan’s neck and keep him close. 

“Alright, alright, it’s good to see all of you, too. I’ll talk to you inside, yeah?” So saying, Lorcan shooed them all away, giving the both of them some much needed space. 

Rowan didn’t care, not one bit, that tears now stained both his face and the collar of Lorcan’s uniform. When he pulled back, he moved to cradle Lorcan’s face in his hands. “You’re back early.”

“I’m back for good,” came the response.

It took a moment for those words to sink in and Rowan lost himself in Lorcan’s deep onyx eyes before he sucked in a deep breath. “For good? Forever, for good?”

Lorcan nodded, a crooked smile playing across those usually somber lips. “This isn’t shore leave. I’m done and I’m not reenlisting.” 

“You asshole,” Rowan breathed. “You let me think you were going to re-up.”

“I’d apologize, but seeing your face right now was worth it.”

Rowan rolled his eyes before pulling the stupid man closer. “Just shut up and kiss me already.”

His fiance complied, closing those last few inches to kiss him hard, all those months of separation and loneliness falling away at the feel of him. Rowan pressed closer, hungry for more of him after so long without. He knew they would go inside in a few minutes, to spend time with their family and celebrate his return, but for now he enjoyed this moment with just the two of them. 

And he was looking forward to not having to miss him ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> Asshole is everyone's favorite nickname for Lorcan!
> 
> Feel free to visit me on tumblr @mythicaitt


End file.
